Here’s your lipstick; welcome to the world of women, Caitlyn

Joe Mac, who ponders the deep questions, is wondering if Caitlyn Jenner gets paid less than when she was Bruce.

This year’s Beach Blanket Babylon Scholarship for the Arts competition, on Monday night, highlighted the skills of nine high school students, competing in dance, acting and singing for $10,000 college scholarships. While the families and classmates there to cheer on their faves are taking their seats in the Club Fugazi, there’s a whole other party going on upstairs.

The competition always ends with the “Beach Blanket Babylon” cast leading a chorus of “San Francisco.” But I always think that this informal jammed-in gathering of those who have made San Francisco what it is, there to celebrate the dreams of youth, represents the real spirit of San Francisco.

•Standing in the SFO line to be processed by authorities on the way home from a recent trip, Chuck Charlton noticed that a sign saying phone use was not permissible had a picture of a desktop phone with receiver. Isn’t that beside the point? (Charlton was tempted to take a picture of it, but that wouldn’t be permissible, either.)

•Randy Alfred is wondering: “What happens if the Warriors win the NBA championship series on the same day the U.S. Supreme Court announces its same-sex-marriage decision? What if it’s Friday, June 19, the day of the City Hall Centennial party in Civic Center Plaza? Are we ready?”

The mood at Sunday’s memorial gathering at the San Francisco Art Institute for Paule Anglim was wistful, but not melancholy. The founder of Gallery Paule Anglim died at 92 (it can be said now; the year of her birth was printed in the program), having spent her professional life surrounded by what she liked — art, artists and art lovers — and having enjoyed the respect and admiration of everyone who knew her.

The institute’s theater, cafe and courtyard were jammed with about 500 people, an overflowing crowd that included just about every prominent artist and curator in town. When Institute President Charles Desmarais asked artists whose work she’d shown or supported over the years to stand up, the room was filled with responders.

The program included three speakers, two songs performed by Terry Allen, and artist Richard Shaw’s Family and Friends musical group playing in the courtyard. Artist Katherine Sherwood described Anglim as a close friend, a cook and baker of Floating Island, at whose direction she had once spray-painted a pair of shoes red. Poet Bill Berkson described her in the community of artists as “setting a standard ... always brisk and sometimes brusque.”

But it was gallery director Ed Gilbert, who’d worked with Anglim for 27 years, who provided the deepest insights. Anglim, born and raised in French Canada, was “a tall skinny girl who was told by her family doctor to lie down after she ate. She needed to gain weight.” One reason for her love of San Francisco was its climate. She found hot weather intolerable, believing that “when it is cold, you can take control.” As to her manner of speaking, said Gilbert, “She seemed to like the strength of small phrases, and the weight they had, especially when delivered with finality.”

Despite Anglim’s no-nonsense manner, Gilbert recalled an occasion when he noticed she’d spent a lot of time talking to someone he knew she didn’t like. When he mentioned this to her, she responded, “‘We are also kind.’”

“We will remember Paule,” said Gilbert, “for her contributions to art and for her kindness.”

Leah Garchik washed up on the shores of Fifth and Mission in 1972, began her duties as a part-time temporary steno clerk, and has done everything around The Chronicle including washing the dishes (her coffee cup). Over the years, she has served as writer, reviewer, editor and columnist. She is the author of two books, “San Francisco: Its Sights and Secrets” and “Real Life Romance."

She is an avid knitter, a terrible accordion player, a sporadic tweeter and a pretty good speller.